Nine on Yacht Rescued from Lion Island

8:30 PM Sat 24 Jan 2009 GMT

'Lion Island in the background - familiar sight for the yachts of Broken Bay' .

The violent southerly that hit the eastern coast of New South Wales yesterday (Saturday) caused more than just a sigh of relief from the overheated population.

Water Police rescued nine people including a baby from a yacht which ran aground in the strong winds off Lion Island at Broken Bay just north of Sydney.

Around 6.30pm, the 36 foot chartered vessel was heading from the Hawkesbury area to Pittwater when it encountered 40 knot southerly winds.

As the yacht rounded West Head, the gale caused its jib sail to unfurl.

The vessel began to list, pushing the bow towards Lion Island and the 43-year-old master from Newport tried in vain to regain control.

He managed to steer the yacht around rocks onto Lion Island Beach and issue a mayday call.

Officers from the Marine Area Command at Broken Bay responded, along with NSW Maritime and the Cottage Point Coast Guard.

The nine marooned people, including five children aged between 17 months and 15 years, were rescued, and no-one was injured in the incident.

The owners of the yacht are expected to launch an operation to salvage the vessel later today(Sunday).

by NSW Police Media Release/Sail-World

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